Unwelcome Home
by toader95
Summary: Following Admittance. Solona arrives back home only to find something she never expected.


_(I'm sorry if phrases are wrong…I'm no good at remembering.)_

"Cullen, don't you recognize me?" Solona stood as close to the cage as she could. She felt her heart stop. Why would anyone cage him like this? Like some sort of animal?

"All too well." He knelt down and shut his eyes. "How far they must have delved into my thoughts. Using my own shame against, my ill-advised infatuation with her…a mage of all things."

She felt her heart stop. He…felt for her. He did. "I'm real. I'm here to help you!"

"Go away! What? You're still here? Usually that works. Why have you returned to the tower?"

"Gregoir told me what happened; I had to help."

She listened as he spoke. He was scared. Maybe scarred from everything he had seen. "I'm the only one left."

"Where are Irving and the others?" She had to know. She couldn't let anything happen to the rest of the mages, not if she could help it.

He yelled. "What others? Uldred took them all to the Harrowing Chamber. The sounds coming from there…Oh, Maker."

"We have to save them!" Solona was ready. She needed to save them. She began to walk away when Cullen yelled again.

"No! They can't be saved. Don't you see? You must get rid of everyone up there!"

Wynne disagreed. "We cannot do that!"

"Cullen…I will not kill an innocent." Solona spoke above a whisper.

"They could be blood mages! You can't tell maleficarum just by looking at them! You have to do it!" He was begging for her to kill every mage up there. All the people she spent her life with, and for what? For him? Because he is begging? No, he's afraid.

Solona raised her hand up to the barrier, not touching it. Just enough to reach. Leliana shook her head. "You can't be considering this!" Solona shut her eyes. She didn't want to tell him no. She was afraid too. She was afraid of what he think of her if she did.

"No…Cullen, I will not kill an innocent mage. Not for you, not for anybody." She moved away from the barrier.

He frowned, he looked, disappointed. "Maker turn his gaze on you, I hope you haven't doomed us all." The group ran to the Harrowing Chamber.

"Irving. Maker, I didn't expect to see you again." Gregoir and Irving spoke about Uldred and what had happened. Solona and her group listened, even giving input. Everything was fine until Cullen interrupted.

"They could have demons, lying dormant within them!" Solona felt sorry for him. After all he went through…she couldn't think of anything to say. He was pleading every chance he got. She felt embarrassed for him almost.

"I am the Knight-Commander here, Cullen, not you. I will take Irving's word on it." They all turned to her. She took a deep breath. She had no idea what to say. Cullen's gaze hurt her. He stared at her with such pain; like it was her who betrayed him. "The tower is fine, Knight-Commander." Cullen threw his arms up. Gregoir and Irving thanked her, Alistair, Leliana and Wynne. They were happy things were fine now.

"Solona, if I may have a word?" Solona smiled. "My men did a sweep of the tower. You didn't miss anything, I'm impressed."

She grinned. "Thank you, but it wasn't just me. They all helped me. I couldn't have done this without them."

"I promised you would receive my aid. But with the mages alright, I'm afraid you must speak with Irving for this."

She arched an eyebrow. "Would the Templars be okay with mages leaving?"

Alistair pulled her away. "Best not anger the nice Knight-Commander, Solona." She grinned. "That would be very bad."

"You have my help, the mages will aid you." Irving smiled at her.

"Even though there are so few of you now?" He laughed.

"You should know by now numbers don't matter. We are stronger than you believe. Ah, but I have things to do. Maybe another time."

"Of course. Till we meet again." Solona sighed. This wasn't exactly what she had hoped to return to when coming to the tower. She had hoped to see mages studying, Templars being grumpy like they always are. Apprentices learning and trying not to catch on fire. But this, she felt so unwelcome.

"Solona. Have you…?" Alistair let his question drag.

"Have I what? Ever licked a lamppost in winter?" He laughed.

"Not this time. Have you spoken to Cullen yet? That was the reason we came in the first place…"

"No. I, don't know what to do. He looks at me as if I've disappointed him; betrayed him." Alistair placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't coddle me. I can do it…I think."

"You think? It's about time I say." She pushed him away. "Just go on, if things go wrong, I'll be right behind you to save it." He winked at her. She felt a bit more confident now knowing Alistair would be there. "Go!" He pushed her.

She looked in the main entrance; he wasn't there. She looked in the apprentice quarters; nowhere to be found. She checked the halls; still not seen. "Cullen." She tried to hold back her yell, but not too much, she did want to find him. She checked the library and there he was. Standing right below the stairs, staring at the books. He traced his fingers along the row of books. "Cullen." He dropped his arm.

"You're favorite book, right? Scrying and all the wonders that come with it; as you've said." His tone was soft, she didn't like it. "Why did you even return?"

"You remembered my favorite book?" She felt her heart smile.

"I couldn't forget." She half-smiled. "Why did you return, I won't ask again?"

"This was my home once, you know." She moved across the floor to the index stands.

"But it is not any longer. Why return? You have a new home, with those Grey Wardens."

She didn't like his tone. He was angry. "Those grey wardens? There is only two left! I could've died at Ostagar! Where is concern for that?" She covered her mouth. "No, I'm sorry, I…"

He turned around. "It's all about you, then? I could've died too. You didn't do a simple task! How hard was it to make sure no blood mages escaped?"

"I wasn't killing innocents, Cullen!"

"No, but you helped an actual blood mage escape the tower right before leaving. Or did you forget?" He turned back around to the shelf.

She felt like crying. He was truly angry at her. "What are you gaining from this?"

"I'm not gaining anything. I've already lost everything." He balled his hands into fists. Solona walked over to him. She reached for his hand and he quickly pulled it back. "Don't touch me, mage! I don't want you to touch me! Mages can't be trusted! They must constantly be watched! At any moment they could give in! They can become what happened here!"

"Mage? My name is not mage! Not all mages are the same either! Magic is a burden, but one we must all, as children of the Maker, come to terms with! Those born with it cannot help who they are! They must learn to master their abilities! Not abuse it! Templars have abilities! They abuse them too!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "How dare you compare me to Mages? I am to prot-"

She raised her hand to stop him. "I am to protect mages not only from themselves but from others as well. I serve the chantry and I will do my duty to the Maker, isn't that right? Oh, Amell, if you know, why do have to ask? Isn't that what happens every single time we talk." She looked for him to respond. He stayed silent. From the corner of her eye she saw Alistair and Leliana peaking in. "Damn right it is! How far they delved into my thoughts! My ill-advised infatuation with her! A MAGE of ALL things! Explain that Cullen!" She was yelling from the top of her lungs. "Was I not suppose to hear that? Well too late for that don't you think! I came here for you! I wanted to see you, to let you know how I really felt about you! But when I arrived and saw this chaos, all I wanted to make sure you weren't dead! Why did I want that? Because I loved you!"

Cullen looked down to the floor. "Loved. With a d."

"Yes, that's right! With a damn d! You couldn't look past your duty for a moment to maybe even realize that the love of your life is right here? Right in front of you! I…I can't even…" She covered her face. She didn't want him to see her cry. "I told them when they asked. I told them how much I loved you. I didn't lie. I said I loved a templar! Even through the rumors saying you were mad, I didn't believe them. Now I wonder why I didn't." She removed her hands from her face and dug into her pocket. She threw a small object on the ground. "Take it. I never want to see it again." Solona walked away, tears pouring down her face. She couldn't even look back. Alistair wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she wept. It was all he could do.

Cullen knelt down and picked up what she had thrown. "The locket…" He growled and placed the locket to his chest, where his heart would be if felt it wasn't just torn out. "I'm sorry, Amell. I won't trust a mage. Not you, not anybody."

_(I hope you guys enjoyed this… 3 Feedback always welcome =D)_


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